Fly fishing Mexico - Casa Blanca Lodge client report

Here is a great report from client Alex Wee who spent 9 days fly fishing out of Casa Blanca Lodge in Ascension Bay, Mexico. Congratulations on your 4 permit Alex.....

El Diablo Negro’

This was my 4th trip to Casa Blanca. The first 2 I have regarded as learning my craft. Last year 2013 was ‘fishy’; I caught some scary sized snook, jacks, with plenty of tarpon and a permit. This year was different. If someone said I would catch one permit in the week and a bunch of other fish, I would have been happy. What came to pass was very different.

The weather was my biggest worry. A week prior to my trip, the reports were showing thunderstorms and 90% chance of rain every day and for the next 10 days. The rain gear was stowed in my luggage. Thankfully it only came out for 15 minutes on the second last day. Night storms freshened the air; better for sleeping but also better for the mosquitoes.

But what you really want to know is how the fishing panned out.There were many jumped tarpon, and quite a few caught ( leadered but not always boated ). Sadly the biggest one caught was off the pier, and jumped the hook as I tried to lift it out of the water. There were days when the water would boil with rolling fish and my the purple and black EP fly was inhaled many times, but nothing I did would set the hook.The snook were more cooperative. Most of the time they were hungry. Watching them slam the fly as they make that mad lunge for it, and

seeing the water erupt is a sight I never tire of. The arm wrenching tustle, and acrobatics that follow are more satisfying, as once they are hooked, they usually stay on. Snook to over 20lb were boated, with the majority around the 15lb mark.

Bones were plenty and always hungry. Anyone that has been to Ascension bay will know that a bone over 4lb is a special fish. Santa Rosa Lagoon fished poorly the day I was there but I did catch a few of the ‘home bones’ which were about 5lb. Those fish have grown fat on the sardines fed to them by the lodge staff, but are very cagey and difficult to trick. The big daddy looks 9lb maybe pushing 10, his oversized black head and back creating a serious wake as he patrols in between the skiffs and the mooring ropes, never once distracted by feathers and flash.

Ascension bay is about permit. Cayo Xhobon, Tres Marias, Vigia grande, the 4th river - staring at emerald waters, looking for a wake and a sudden silver flash, dark tails flicking on the surface ripple. Standing on the bow, 60ft of running carefully laid out behind you in the cockpit, 15 ft of head out and holding the fly in your left, aching feet, itchy buff, listening to the wind flap your shirt, when suddenly the poling changes rhythm and the skiff switches angle. I look behind to see what direction Jorge is staring at, and quickly face the front looking at the same patch of water. I hear him mutter something about nervy water 300ft and coming our way. I check the line is not caught on anything and that there are no tangles.

‘Can you see them - yes or no?’ ‘Er, I think so’ ‘yes or no’ ‘got ‘em’

‘Cast now’ The squimp takes flight infront and then behind the boat, and I feel the Helios bend, make my haul and shoot the rest. There is the sound of something unrepeatable in Spanish as I hook myself in the back of my head and the line gets trapped under my feet. And so it was like that for my many permit encounters.

There were those permit moments when the fish would follow, tip their head down and eat, but spit the hook. And the time I lost a fish so big that Jorge refused to even tell me its size. I saw it from only 40ft when it ate and it was a long and deep fish, and after an agonising 20 minutes, I heard a distant splash and felt the sickening loss of tension in the rod. That is why I now have cold beers in the boat - for those moments when there are no words to say, only beer to drink.

But it was not all like that. It was on the 4th day, there were no clouds the sun was high making spotting easy, and as we turned off the motor we both saw the school over 100yds away. Just tailing in the shallows. We jumped out of the boat, and let me tell you how difficult it is to walk quietly and fast and avoid catching the line around your feet. We worked our way to the fish so the wind was coming from the left and we could intercept them side on. They were still feeding, blowing the sand for those very pale crabs. One false cast and 50ft of line shot out landing the fly just in front of the fish. They were still happy, still feeding. ‘Strip, take slack out. Strip. Strip. stop, strip slow, stop, strip, he’s got it’ My left hand pulled and the line tightened.

‘let him go’. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

My favourite sound on the flats. The permit bolted, the only thing slowing it down were bits of cork and carbon.There was nothing I could do except to let it tire itself against the drag, everytime I played the fish to within 100ft and it would take flight. I saw the backing knot disappear 6 times through the top ring before it started to tire. After a nerve wracking 20 minutes the fish was finally tailed. I sank to my knees laughing and crying all at the same time. My family call that my fishy smile, and they all know how much it meant to me.

The flats were very generous and gave up another 3 permit, but nothing as special as that one

Casa Blanca Lodge at Ascension bay is a remarkable place. The hustle and buzz of the Riviera Maya are left behind when you land at the airstrip. Manuel hands you a cold towel, and the first of many margaritas, as you alight the panga. By the time you get to the palapa (dining area at the lodge), the tequila has taken effect, and you need another to maintain the sway. It helps me get my sea legs for the next few days.

The food is fantastic and there is plenty of it. After a day chasing shadows on the water, you are welcomed back with beer, margaritas, and hor d’oevres - cerviche, nachos and guacomole, pan fried fish. Dinner was equally wonderful - I have learnt not to eat to much on surf and turf night - Lobster tail with Fillet steak.

There are many different fish to chase. Some days I would spend 6 hours staring at endless flats, imagining ‘nervy water’, only to have have one shot at a cruising fish. Other days it was ‘Tarpon soup’. You could hear them rolling from 100m away and when you saw the number of fish feeding it would be hard to believe. That day was crazy, I jumped 6 nice fish, but nothing would come to the boat.

The last day was one of those days - It was 230pm and we had seen nothing all day. Drifting down the wind, Jorge and I see a lone fish tight to the mangroves. I put the fly 60ft into the hole, between the branches, leading the fish by 5. It sees the fly, I strip long and fast, the fish chases and eats. Bang - the rod is almost pulled out of your grip as it takes an alarming shape - Snook on. We then run towards home. Only once we get to the home flat, we see permit. The first shot gets a hook up, but the fish spits after a couple of minutes. The school skitters

about 40yards and then turn back to the boat. I fire another one out, the fly sinks and I lay the crab still. The head goes down and the tail shakes as the fish chases, and I strip nice and slow. Fish eats and 10 minutes later my 4th permit of the trip is in the boat - small but as they say ‘ permit is a permit’. Unbelievable. Winking at us in the shallows were little grey tails. It had to be done. The home flat was very kind that afternoon, and 5 minutes later a bonefish was swimming around my ankles. All in the last hour.

El diablo negro - that’s what they call them down there. The really big permit - over 30lb, and if you meet Jorge, ask to see his ‘trofeo’. And I have seen them, and hooked them, but they were too shy this year to have their photo taken with me.

Next time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FLY FISHING IN MEXICO PLEASE CALL US ON +44 (0)1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk OR VISIT: WWW.FLYODYSSEY.CO.UK

Fly fishing Playa Blanca Lodge, Mexico: Client feedback and photos

We have just had a regular client who fishes Mexico each year return from Playa Blanca Lodge in Mexico. This was his first trip to Playa Blanca having fished Casa Blanca previously. Looks like a great weeks fishing was had....

Dear Mat,

Playa delivers the goods.

Tarpon
Bonefish
Permit
Big horse eye jack
Giant snook
Cubera snapper,
Other type of fish poss a mullet

I need to come back for 10 days or even 2 weeks....

Later
Alex

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FLY FISHING IN MEXICO PLEASE CALL US ON +44 1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk

Client visit to Florida Everglades

One of our regular clients decided to stop-off and fish the Florida Everglades on his way down to Playa Blanca Lodge in Mexico. Looks like a worthwhile stopover for a few days warm up before the permit fishing begins. Day one Jonathan had a backcountry slam which includes a trout, redfish and snook. Day 2 Jonathan bettered that with a backcountry grand slam adding a tarpon along with the three fish above. Pictures below....

FOR MORE INFORMATION FISHING THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES OR THE KEYS CALL US ON +44 (0) 1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk    www.flyodyssey.co.uk

A First Timers Point of View - Tom Festing

Saltwater Fly Fishing First Time

Tom Festing of SPORTFISH READING has just returned from is first saltwater fly fishing trip for bonefish. He provides a good insight to what you can expect.....

A FIRST TIMERS POINT OF VIEW

After many years of running around the world chasing freshwater species, I was regularly told enough was enough, it was about time I sampled ‘A salty trip’. So many people rave about experiences they have had and fish that they have caught, however, it is not until you have seen this first hand, you can get a grasp of what they on about. A week in the sun targeting elusive salt water species around the flats sounded pretty good to me. My chosen destination was Ascension Bay, Mexico, part of the southern Yucatan Peninsula. I had my kit which essentially broke down to an 8#, two 10#’s and a 12# (optional) and a spinning rod, just in case the conditions are against you. This trip was arranged through Fly Odyssey who is one of our Travel Partners here at Sportfish. I had been told so much about this area by a colleague at work and what to expect it was difficult for me not to be full of expectation once we had landed. We finally got to our final destination, Punta Allen having travelled for around 30 hrs, somehow that did not matter.

Paul Procter greeted us the next morning after just a few hrs sleep, he was our host for the week. The lucky swine had been down in Punta Allen for the previous two weeks, which must have been a real pain. After an extremely hearty breakfast, cooked by our chef for the week Pepe, we were all allocated our guides, these changed day to day through the week. You shared the boat with your boat partner and two guides. A nice touch was that Casa Viejo Chac only employed guides who lived in Punta Allen, these guides then owned their boats through a cooperative of which Manuel who owns Casa Viejo was the Chairman.

The main benefit of travelling to Punta Allen for my first salty trip seemed to me, to be the variety and density of various species which included, Bonefish (Macabe), Permit (Palameta), Tarpon (Sabalo), Snook (Robalo) and Barracuda. This was maybe down to the guides, each and every one knew the vast area of Ascension Bay down to the last mangrove stem. These guides loved what they did, it was obvious.



I won’t bore you with the detail of each day, all I can say each evening was full of different stories from the funny to the more serious chat about the amounts and sizes of fish. I was amazed by not only the quantity of fish but the nature around you whilst you fished, from Eagles and Ospreys to Turtles and Iguana’s, (the occasional mangrove frog would also show up, for those of you who were on any of the trips) The Sian Kaan Bio sphere seems to have most of what you want from a trip abroad.
Something that was evident was in order to enjoy the quality of the fishing and the guides you needed to be able to make casts into the wind off both shoulder’s to 40-50 feet, sounds easy but when you have a Permit travelling fast from left to right and the wind is blowing, you only get one shot. It needs to be a good one!!




ASCENSION BAY TACKLE SUGGESTIONS
So, to summarise a 8# (Bonefish), a couple of 10#’s (Permit and Snook/Tarpon) and a 12 (Barracuda/Tarpon) on the boat would be sufficient for this destination. The organisation from Fly Odyssey was excellent, Manuel’s detail on the day to day organisation around Casa Viejo Chac was finely tuned, including his ability to spot and follow a Permit at 80 yards. This is a must for anyone who enjoys their fly fishing.

For further details please EMAIL FLY ODYSSEY or call + 44 (0) 1621 743711.

Ascension Bay: The Host's trip Report

Over the past few weeks we have posted up some of the client reports from their trips to Mexico's Casa Veijo Chac with Paul Procter in November 2010. Paul has sent through a summary of the three weeks fishing while he was there.



Fly fishing Ascension Bay Report: Paul Procter's Report

With numerous Permit credited to our party last year, November 2009 was always going to be a hard act to follow. However, our annual pilgrimage to Ascension Bay in 2010 was to prove just as successful for many different reasons. Yes, Permit did feature from day one though for me it was the tailing Bonefish that captured my imagination, as nothing comes close to gently strolling through ankle deep water and scanning the flats for glistening tails of large feeding fish. When I say large, it’s pleasing to see the average size of bonefish has increase year on year in Ascension Bay as we regularly encountered fish in the 5-7lb bracket with the occasional 8 pounder showing up too. Believe me, using 7-8 weight outfits, such specimens take off at a fair lick when hooked, exhilarating stuff I can tell you. Enjoying several days of this, personally, it ranks as one of my most memorable fishing experiences to date.



Whilst low tides are not to everyone’s liking, it certainly presented us with plenty of opportunities to tangle with Snook. These secretive predators are often tucked up tight in mangroves roots, but low water pushed them out into more accessible areas. And whilst every member of our group managed to hook them, Mark Windsor certainly got more than he bargained for when he latched into a Snook of well over 20lb.




Barracuda are one species that are often neglected here. So this year, we all decided on a concerted effort to bag a decent sized fish. Using slender baitfish imitations dressed on TMC 600SP, I experienced a high hook-up rate and managed to land several cudas over 10lb. What’s niggling me now, is the number of these fish I’ve past up on previous trips. For my money they’re a great sporting fish that take off at speed before tailing walking. One of our group-Rob Evans almost exclusively targeted these menacing creatures for his entire trip. Others thought he’d lost his marbles, but I’m with Rob all the way on this one!



As for the elusive “P” fish, well our group had days when they cast at not just one, but several permit. In fact they were surprisingly prevalent during our stay and at least one Permit was reported being caught most days, a testament as to how extensive the Permit fishing is out in Ascension Bay.



Newcomer to saltwater fishing-Steve Grimes didn’t realise what all the fuss was about, as on his third day, he landed a monster Permit of 25lb….incredible. I too got amongst fish with hefty shoulders and managed one nudging 20lb. Perhaps more of an angling feat was Jonathan Tomlinson who connected with a substantial Permit when bonefishing. Naturally, his 8-weight outfit took a beating, equally, he was looking somewhat worse for wear after the battle. Congratulations must surely go to Steve Langan though, who finally joined the Permit Club after chasing them for a number of years now. Though, before that eventful day, Steve did say he’d decorate himself a tattoo to mark the occasion, we wait with bated breath!



Finally, let’s not forget the Casa Viejo Chac in Punta Allen which made this trip special. Run by Manuel Chac we had access to the best guides in Ascension Bay, including the services of Manuel himself. His kindness and generosity made everybody welcome when on most evenings he entertained us with fly tying demonstrations. Needless to say, we have made many friends out there and have already rebooked for 2011.

Paul Procter Dec 2010

For further details please email us or call + 44 (0) 1621 743711.

Mexico Fly Fishing Report by Mike Bilson

Mike Bilson kindly shared his thoughts on his second trip to Mexico with us on one of the Paul Procter hosted weeks. It makes for an interesting read and sums up the experience nicely....

Fishing Report – Punta Allen, Mexico: 22nd Nov to 27th Nov 2010

David and I met John Honour, Steve Grimes, and David Hoskins at Gatwick on Sunday 21st November for the ten hour flight to Cancun arriving at 14.30 local time. The Thomson flight was only half full so we had plenty of room. The AGI Tours minibus was waiting for us and we set off for Punta Allen, stopping briefly on the way at Tulum for a very pleasant meal at a road-side restaurant. The next part of the journey was a real test of perseverance with the main road running out and turning into a very hard and long 40 km drive. The road has clearly been badly damaged over the last year with constant pot holes and craters meaning that we averaged about 10 kph until Punta Allen. This was very unpleasant and will undoubtedly put some people off from returning, but the positive side is that Punta Allen will never become over fished with excessive anglers.

We were warmly greeted at Casa Veijo Chac by our host Paul Proctor who had organized the rooms. Since last year three new rooms have been built with good air conditioning and new showers, but the electricity did fail briefly on occasions in the evening. Not a major problem as it was quickly fixed but showering in the dark could be a challenge.

The first morning we were allocated guides over breakfast. Pepe and Marbella produced excellent authentic Mexican food all week which was wholesome and tasty with good measures of spice, onions and chilies. Breakfast was served at 07:00 before setting off for the boats at 08:15. A packed lunch was provided each day with plenty of drinks. Dinner was served at 19:00 and consisted of a three course meal. Beer was freely available and we settled up at the end of the week which was very reasonable at $110 each including staff tips and laundry.

The weather started mostly cloudy with a stiff East wind which was the aftermath of a heavy storm at the end of the previous week. The wind and cloud gradually calmed down each day until a magnificent last day of flat calm and few clouds. Temperatures were around 25 to 30 degrees centigrade.

Monday 22nd
Guides were Edwin and Osca who are new this year to Veijo Chac but very experienced. David’s first day started with an excellent 12 Snook on fly. I lost one Snook of similar size due to a straightened hook, and lost a tarpon of around 14lb on one of its airborne leaps. We also had several bonefish averaging about 2lb mainly on Cuban Shrimps, as well as a small Jack and Barracuda on a Deceiver. Fishing off the Punta Allen pier in the evening was not productive due to cloudy water from a strong onshore wind.

Tuesday 23rd
Heavy rain overnight cleared by the morning but still a stiff Easterly wind and 40% cloud cover. Philip was our very experienced guide. We chased permit in the morning and saw about half a dozen. I got one reasonable shot. After lunch we changed tactics and went for Snook, Barracuda, and Tarpon. David landed his first ever Barracuda on popper weighing in at 16lb. Soon after I landed a 15lb Barracuda on fly with wire trace. We saw a Permit cruising through so a quick change to crab fly was presented beautifully only to be stolen from the Permits nose by a greedy 2lb Snook. David then had a great shot at the Permit which followed the fly but turned away. We finished that day by wading for Bonefish at “Lagoon Duos” where we came across a massive shoal of tailing Bonefish, landing a few between us.



Wed 24th
Weather improved again with the wind calming and 30% cloud cover. Guides were William of 24 years guiding experience at Punta Allen and his boatman Edwardo. We waded for Bonefish in the morning and while doing so David got an excellent shot at a Permit which took the tan crab fly but after a very brief encounter, spat the fly out before he could set the hook. I later hooked a large Barracuda which bit through the 25lb wire trace and made its escape. Then we saw two Shark cruising and after casting a fly and getting a couple of follows with no takes the guide suggested we used a bait fish. So I rigged up a large wire trace and hook on the end of my AFTM 10 fly rod and line. We threaded half a Needle Fish on the hook and waded into the flat to stalk the Shark. After a brief sniff the Shark took the bait and there followed a massive fight on the fly rod taking about 150 yards on the first run. Many more long runs followed but after about 25 minutes the 30lb Lemon Shark was beached and duly dispatched presumably to feed the guide’s family for a week. The using of bait earned the esteemed prize of the “Pink Bow Tie” in the evening. Later David was smashed up by an estimated 40lb Barracuda on popper which ripped off line on its way to the mangrove snags 120 yards away. It took the hook, trace, braid and backing. During the day we also caught a few Bones.



Thursday 25th
We had the most experienced guides today being Manuel and Choo Choo. Some cloud and threatening rain at first but this cleared nicely by the time we reached the fishing grounds. David landed his first ever Tarpon on a fly weighing in at around 10lb. Several others were seen cruising. Then we moved around the Island were Manuel put me on a massive Bonefish. I cast my Cuban Shrimp four feet in front of his slow feeding path. He moved to the fly and made a confident take, followed by my two strip strikes setting the hook. After a long fight it came to the boat at 7lb. Manuel believed it should have been a 9lb fish due to its length but was a little under-weight for its length. Still, a magnificent specimen. After lunch we went for Permit and found a large shoal of tailing Permit in the bay with an average size of around 15lb and some going much larger. I cast a tan crab fly, the lined tightened and after setting the hook the large Permit made a brief strong run before parting the leader on what turned out to be a wind knot. A quick change of fly and increase in leader strength from 16lb to 20lb gave me another clean shot at a large oncoming shoal. The fly was perfectly presented and the line tightened at which point Manuel clarified that a 10lb Jack Crevalle had intercepted the fly in front of the Permit. There followed a 20 minute tug-of-war resulting in the AFTM 8 Helios rod exploding into six pieces leaving me with just the cork handle and reel left in my hand. With no other option I had to hand line the rest of the fight. By the time the fish was returned and a new rod tackled up the clouds had come over and the Permit shoal moved on. This episode also earned me the “Pink Bow Tie” for the second time. Thankfully Robin had lent me his Orvis Zero Gravity AFTM 8 rod just in case of a breakage which proved to be very valuable.



Friday 26th
Guides were William and Edwardo for the second time. David waded on the flats for Bonefish while I went for Permit with William. We found a tailing shoal of about 20 Permit and got out the boat to wade gently from 50 yards away. At 10:30 I landed a 6lb Permit on Manuel’s china man crab fly, being smaller than most of the shoal but still a good fish. I then got a Bonefish at 10:45 so we decided to go for the Grand Slam and picked up David who had caught a few Bones. We went to the brackish mangrove swamps and found a school of three Tarpon. The second one took the fly aggressively and weighed in at 10lb’s and completed the Grand Slam before 11.00. We spent the rest of the day trying to get a Snook to make it a Super Slam but none were found.



Saturday 27th
Guides for the day were Pablo and Marcus. Weather was magnificent with a mirror calm trip to the Bonefish flats where we found many large shoals of tailing Bones on the low tide. Everyone had endless fun taking Bone after Bone some up to 3lb. After lunch we decided to split up with David continuing to wade the flats for Bones while I chased Permit. Unfortunately the clouds came over putting an end to the splendid Bonefish sport and making it hard to spot Permit although we did see half a dozen and get a good shot at one which ignored my crab fly. During the afternoon I saw a large Barracuda and cast a Popper at the fish using Martin’s Greys spinning rod. It took the popper with a massive attack and a long fight ensued culminating with me landing the beast at 30lb. That evening I won the “Pink Bow Tie” for a third time for casting at a Bonefish which in fact turned out to be a crab moving sideways towards me from 30 yards.



Summary
Over the week the group managed three Grand Slams (Pete, Paul, and me) with a fourth closely missed by Steve whose 40lb Tarpon just held off taking. Individual fish of the week was Steve’s first ever Permit at 25lb. Several good Snook were taken by most anglers. Six Permit were landed in total (Pete 3, Steve 1, Paul 1 and me 1).
Endless species of various sizes were seen, many of which are not mentioned here as they were not landed. The trip back was much easier with the difficult road tackled at the start of the day and in the light. The journey was made fun by the admission that John had inadvertently been wearing his room-mates trousers all week, and commando style at that! David had wondered where his second pair went but all was revealed at Cancun Airport.

Overall a great week.

Mike Bilson